Senate upholds Governor's veto

The state Senate has voted to uphold Governor Burgum’s veto of a measure designed to limit recruitment and retention bonuses he can give to his office staff.

The bill was introduced after Governor Dalrymple paid what some considered extravagant bonuses to try and keep his staff. The measure would limit that to $5000 per employee.

But Sen. Kyle Davison (R-Fargo) argued the bill unfairly singles out the Governor’s office, while allowing other state agencies the flexibility to pay out bonuses.

"I believe House Bill 1153 is an over-reaction to an unpopular decision made by a previous administration," Davison said. "I don't believe tying the hands of the current administration makes for good long term policy in recruiting and retaining the best employees to move our state forward."

No one spoke in favor of overriding the veto. And the Senate vote was 33 to 13 to uphold the veto.